The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-11-12
BEVERLY BEGUu,,
Or, the Fatal Mistake.
BY ALEX. SWEET.


 ously of getting married?"
 These solemn words were addressed to Polly De We're by her brother Rutherford, tall, handsome young man, wearing high, pale, intellect ual brow and pair of pants which were so tight that when he dressed in the morning he must have been re- minded of stuffed sausages.
 Polly De We're stopped short, with sparkling eyes, redden cheeks, and stamping her little foot replied:
 "Brother Rutherford, wish you would attend to your own affairs. Pll get married at the proper time; just you give Cupid chance. He under- stands his little biz, guess"
 "I beg your pardon, Polly. 1 didn't mean to hurt your feelings. What do you think of my college chum, Rev. erly Begum?"
 "Well," said Polly with mock gravity. q think if owned as ugly a collection of features as he has got I'd sleep eighteen hours out of twenty four, just to give them rest and get back into their proper places"
 ''Beverly is not very handsome, but he is intellectual"
 "All homely people are. If he is as intellectual as he is homely what all intellect he must have! I say, brother, tell me in confidence don't he use glove stretehers on that mouth of his? Pm sure he must get measured for his tooth brushes" and Polly De We're laughed cynically.
 "Beverly Begum's mouth IS not precisely classic, but he has fine, open countenance."
 "I should say so. 1 never saw any thing like it except once, and that was last winter when we were in Florida. Do you remember the afli- gator we saw yawn when we went boating?"
 "Polly, you are too bad; he is really very bright"
 II talked with him for half an hour the other night, and it seemed to me that if he had cold in his head it would feel very lonesome. He hasn't got sense enough to talk we'll nor judgment enough to keep his mouth shut, and those feet. I don't believe he can turn over in bed without hit ting the wall with them, but big as they are, he puts one of them in his mouth every time he opens it."
 "Polly, I wish you would teach yourself to like Beverly Begum."
 "Like him! I'd like to sec him drowned"
 "But, Polly, there are extenuating circumstances"
 "There can be no extenuation for a mouth of that sort. Why, the other night at the prayer-meeting, when he got up in the back part of the church to tell his experience, as soon as he opened his mouth Parson Jones called out: Shut that window and keep it shut ?"
 Rutherford De We're leaned over and whispered something in his sisters ear.
 "Now she exclaimed, ''it can't be true?"
 "It is true. His rich uncle in New York has died and left him large landed estate."
 "Perhsps it is groundless?"
 "No, it ain't groundless. 1t con- sists of palace on Fifth avenue and a villa on the Hudson"
 "Oh!" gasped Polly.
 "And two millions in cash in the bank"
 Polly De We're covered her face with her hands and sobbed convul- sively.
 "It was cruel, cruel not to let me know anything about this. O, what an injustice I have done that sweet young man! Will he ever forgive me? The last time I saw him I in- suited him to his face"
 "What did you say? Perhaps he will overlook it." said Rutherford.
 He told me-" sobbed Polly, "that he was thrown out of 8 sleigh and got his mouth full of snow, and I asked him if he didn't have to use 8 snow- shovel. o, Rutherford, do you think he can forgive me?"
 "All is not lost, Polly. From what he told friend of mine I think he is fond of you"
 "What did he ay?"
 "He said you were like brown sugar sweet but unrefned."
 Ibid he say that?" asked Polly, smiling through her tearsA
 "He did that very thing, and if you play your cards right at the straw berry festival tonight, you may yet become a New York society lady. Just think of . house on Fifth avenue"
 Polly didn't reply, but sped up to her chamber, little pink and white